Until recently, the bulk of experimental work concerning the role of psychological factors in obesity has focused on describing the obese person's hyperresponsiveness to the external food environment (cf. Schachter, 1971). In contrast, the role of internal, affective states in the overeating pattern, while receiving considerable theoretical attention by psychosomatic theoriest (cf. Bruch, 1973), has not been well researched. This proposal represents an attempt to clearly define and determine the role of internal emotional states in overeating and obesity. Our first two studies derive from the Slochower (1976) demonstration that free-floating anxiety increases eating in obese subjects. In Studies 1 and 2 we will employ a similar laboratory design to evaluate the relative importance of free-floating vs. labeled, controllable vs. uncontrollable, and internally vs. externally labeled anxiety states in overeating. In Experiment 3, the role of real life stress on eating behavior and weight fluctations will be assessed by testing subjects' eating and weight patterns over a time period involving varying levels of stress. Taken together, the studies will hopefully clarify the theoretical and practical importance of internal emotional states in overeating and obesity.